The Thing He Would Miss The Most
by BendyStrawBunny
Summary: Set four years after they graduate from Hogwarts, Hermione and Ron try to cope with Harry's death


Hey Guys! This is the first fic I've written in a while  
  
so please read and review with any and all comments!  
  
^___^ Now, off we trot!   
  
The Thing He Will Miss the Most  
  
by Bendy Straw Bunny (Kaila)  
  
Hermione walked along the main street of Hogsmeade absentmindedly swinging her bag from side to side. It had been a hard day at the Ministry, and all she wanted to do was have a drink at the Three Broomsticks and forget about it all.  
  
She pushed the door open slowly and headed towards the bar.   
  
"The usual, Mione?" Asked the bartender.  
  
"Thanks, Ros." Rosmerta nodded and left to get a glass.  
  
Hermione sighed heavily and proceeded to the back corner table. She sat down and rested her head on her hands, staring deeply in front of her, but not seeing the wall..  
  
She saw instead a time years ago while she was still in school, she smiled thinking of the old days.. coming into the inn to get a hot tankard of butterbeer with her two best friends, Ron.. and Harry.   
  
A hot feeling grew in the back of her throat, and she fought back tears as she remembered Harry. It was hard to believe that it only been 4 years since she had last seen his face.. it felt like a lifetime.   
  
"You alright there, Mione?"   
  
Hermione jumped at the sound of her voice. She shook herself and looked up. "Oh.. yes. Yes, thank you."   
  
Rosmerta looked at her friend with concern, and placed her rum on the table. "Just holler if you need anything." Hermione nodded and Rosmerta walked back to the bar.   
  
Hermione slowly took a sip as her mind again wandered..  
  
_____________________________  
  
She was spending a few weeks at the Burrow with Ron and Harry during the summer after graduation. It was the first day of the third week and Harry had been missing for several hours. Hermione and the entire Weasley family save for Arthur and Molly were gathered in the kitchen. Charlie and Bill's faces were set in stone, trying to hide their worry. George, Fred and Ron all stared blankly at the clock, while Ginny and Hermione quietly sobbed on each other's shoulders.  
  
Time dragged by so slowly as they waited for word from The Order. Hermione held Ginny's hand tightly as she prayed to whatever god would listen that Harry was alright.  
  
There was a soft popping noise and seven heads shot up and stared eagerly at Arthur with renewed hope. But when they saw the look on his face..  
  
They knew..  
  
Harry was gone.   
  
____________________________  
  
Hermione couldn't stop the tears now. They flowed freely, falling from her face into he glass.   
  
Few had mourned for Harry. The general feeling in the wizarding community was that Voldemort was gone, and that was all that mattered.   
  
Harry's funeral had been the worse experience of Hermione's life. She sat next to Ginny and Ron, but didn't really notice their presence. All she could see was the casket. It suddenly hit her that she would never see Harry again.. never spend another summer with him at the Burrow.. never see his smiling face looking up at her..  
  
How could she go on after this? Without Harry life seemed to stop. She could see her friends next to her now, they all had a hollow air about them.. Hermione could tell they felt the same way too.   
  
She hadn't seen Ron since the funeral. The last few years, seeing him had just been too painful.. it brought back too many memories.. memories she couldn't bear to think of.  
  
"A pint of mead, please Madam?"  
  
A familiar voice brought Hermione back to the present. She turned her head quickly, It couldn't be.. she thought.  
  
Ron Weasley sat at the bar looking strangely different from the last time she had seen him. His hair hung from his head shaggy and unkempt, and there was a trace of stubble lining his chin as if to say that shaving was too trivial a thing for him to think about. His shoulders were slumped as he held his tankard loosely.   
  
Hermione wiped away her tears, and slowly stood. She took a deep breath, headed towards the bar and eased herself onto the stool to the right of Ron.  
  
  
  
________________________  
  
A soft voice interrupted Ron's thoughts. He looked up over his tankard and gaped.   
  
"Mione?" he said in disbelief.   
  
"Oh, Ron.." before he could get in another word Hermione had wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He placed his mead back on the bar, and patted her back awkwardly.   
  
She pulled away, and Ron could see her eyes were red. She had been crying, and he knew what about.   
  
"Look.. Ron.. we need to talk. Do you maybe want to.." she paused. "Go back to my place? I don't live too far away.."  
  
He started to decline, but as he looked into her sad sorrowful face, he knew he couldn't say no to her.  
  
  
  
_______________________  
  
Hermione opened the door of her cottage on the out skirts of Hogsmeade ten minutes later. "Please excuse the mess.. I've been pretty busy lately. You.. Do you want a butterbeer or something?"   
  
Ron stepped in house and blushed, "Er, yeah.. yeah.. that'd be nice."  
  
Hermione walked into the kitchen searched the cupboards for two bottles. As she rummaged she wondered why she had bothered to invite Ron over. It was nice to see him again but.. did she really expect it to be just like it was before? Did she really think that he would just open up, and they could all have a nice cry? Ron had always been somewhat insensitive.. why would he be any different now?  
  
She found the butterbeers and backed into the living room. "They're a bit warm, but--"   
  
She stopped when she saw Ron.  
  
He was curled up on her couch, his face buried in his hands, tears streaming.  
  
____________________________  
  
It was as if he had held in his grief for the entire four years. Harry's death was something too horrible to think about.. so he had locked it in the back of his mind. And now seeing Hermione after so long.. she had brought it back.   
  
He felt Hermione once again wrap her arms around him, and for once.. he didn't fight it. He just rested his head against Hermione's shoulder and sobbed. All the thoughts and memories he had tried so hard to forget he felt exploding in his mind.   
  
"I didn't know it would hurt this bad, Hermione.." he pulled back from her embrace, and stared deep into her eyes. "I never thought..." he choked on his tears. "I never thought.. I would miss him this much."  
  
"It's okay Ron.. it's okay.."  
  
Ron shook his head and stared, blinking furiously, at the ceiling. He heaved a heavy sigh, "Do you remember.. in fourth year, the triwizard tournament? The second task, you were the thing Krum would miss the most, and I.. I was the thing Harry would miss the most?"  
  
Hermione nodded, and smiled weakly at the memory. "Of course I do."  
  
Ron lowered his head and stared at the floor. "I.. I thought it was kinda weird at first. I thought it would've been his broom.. or.. or Sirius.. or maybe you, but.." he paused, ".. Not me. I didn't know.. I didn't think.. he cared so much. How could anyone really miss just one person that much?"  
  
He lifted his head and fixed his eyes on Hermione. "I didn't get it.. but I do now." Ron's eyes began to fill. "Harry is what I miss the most." The tears stared to fall again. "But I realized it far too late.. far, far too late. And he'll never know.. how much I... loved him."  
  
"Oh Ron.. he knew... he knew. And he still does. He knows we love him.. don't worry."  
  
They embraced, and in that moment they finally realized..   
  
They weren't alone. They had lost Harry..  
  
But they still had each other.   
  
The End 


End file.
